Sermon File

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ and may our Lord and Savior sanctify you in the truth, for His word is truth. Amen

Second Sunday of Easter (2025)

The Eyes of Faith                                                                                                                                                                                                                Rev. Toby O. Byrd

“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29, ESV) 

St. Thomas, and his unbelief is at the center of the second half of today’s Gospel Reading. Now as apostles go, St. Thomas is not mentioned often in the Gospels, but when he is it is always in the light of faith, and therefore his mention has significance for each of us.

To be sure, St. Thomas is one of the twelve apostles, named so in each of the synoptic gospels. Moreover, he is also mentioned as being with six other apostles who were privileged to have breakfast with Jesus on the shore of the Sea of Galilee after His resurrection. But it is the other times when he is mentioned that it has greater significance for us.

The first time St Thomas has a prominent role in the Gospel is when Jesus has been notified by Mary and Martha that their brother Lazarus was ill. At this time Jesus and the twelve were across the Jordan where John had been baptizing. Upon receiving the news, Jesus said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” (John 11:4, ESV) Our Lord knew the prominence of Lazarus’ illness. He knew that Lazarus would die, and He also knew that He would go to him and call him from death to life. He knew He would resurrect Lazarus from the grave.

Knowing what would transpire, Jesus stays across the Jordan for two more days and then proceeds with His apostles to Judea. There, after Lazarus has died, He tells His apostles, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” (John 11:11, ESV) However, the apostles fail to understand what Jesus is saying, failing to understand that when Jesus says Lazarus has “fallen asleep,” He means he has died. So, they respond, saying, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” (John 11:12, ESV) Then Jesus tells them plainly, “Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” (John 11:14–15, ESV) 

 He was not present at the death of Lazarus because He wants His apostles to witness what He is about to do, resurrect Lazarus from the grave. He wants all twelve, including St. Thomas to be eyewitnesses of this miracle. Therefore, He says to them, “let us go to him.” St. Thomas, who is listening intently to all that Jesus has to say, turns to his brother apostles and says, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” (John 11:16, ESV)

Now some consider these words of St. Thomas to be flippant, even possibly rude, insisting that he is referring to their earlier statement when Jesus had said to them, “Let us go to Judea again.” (John 11:7, ESV) The disciples knew that Judea represented real danger for Jesus. Thus, they said to Him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” (John 11:8, ESV) So, in the words of St. Thomas they see fear and foreboding of returning to Judea. But is this an accurate understanding of St. Thomas’ words?

When we examine the words of St. Thomas and place them in the light of the Gospel, we see another side of St. Thomas, a side which courageously stands with Jesus. If Jesus is willing to face the danger of the Jews to go to the grave of His friend Lazarus, we, who are His apostles, who have been united to Him that we should walk with Him, should we not be brave enough to accompany Him to Judea?

Jesus has rejoiced for the sake of His apostles that they will accompany Him to Judea that they might believe. His plan to resurrect Lazarus is meant for strengthening the faith of His apostles, for in their witness of Lazarus’ resurrection, they will be brought to a better understanding of His own resurrection. This act of changing death to life in the resurrection of Lazarus, will better prepare the apostles for the shock of our Lord’s crucifixion and death by helping them to better understand that Jesus has authority over life and death, an authority that will be fully displayed by His own resurrection from the dead.

Finally, outside of today’s Gospel Reading, the only other time that St. Thomas is mentioned is when he is with the Lord at the Last Supper. At that meal Jesus tells them all, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” (John 14:1–4, ESV) But St. Thomas is confused by these words of Jesus. Although He has been with the Lord for three years, and although he has witnessed Lazarus’ resurrection, he fails to understand these words of Jesus. So, he says to Him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” (John 14:5, ESV) It’s as if St. Thomas had no comprehension of heaven or that Jesus was the Son of God. Had He not just told St. Thomas that He was going to His Father’s house to prepare him a room? Yes, He had!

We’re reminded that on an another occasion, Jesus had said to His apostles, “So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32–33, ESV) St. Thomas had heard these words and he had heard our Lord say much the same on other occasions when He had taught that He was the Son of God, that God was His heavenly Father, that His home was with His Father in heaven, but obviously, for whatever reason, St. Thomas failed to understand the connection.

So, at the Last Supper, Jesus turns to St. Thomas, and tells him plainly, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14:6–7, ESV) It’s as if Jesus is saying, Thomas, look, you are not alone in your misunderstanding, your brothers have suffered from this malady all the while. So, stop trying to analyze my words with your mind and let your eyes of faith see clearly what I am saying. For all that I have said is for your eternal benefit. And with these words from Jesus, the brief history of St. Thomas in the Gospels leads us to the Gospel Reading for today and St. Thomas’ surprising failure to see with the eyes of faith.

The resurrection of Christ has taken place and St. Thomas refused to believe it was true. For whatever reason he was not with the others in that upper room on the evening of the resurrection to witness for himself the resurrected Christ. So, when the others, who were witnesses to the Lord’s resurrection, told him that it had happened, he steadfastly refused to believe it. 

Now St. Thomas had been with Jesus for three years. He was a student in Christ’s seminary. Moreover, in those years he had heard, time and again, the divine Gospel message of the Son of God. He had witnessed numerous miracles, including the miracle of three resurrections, and he had heard the Lord when He told them He would be crucified, die, be buried, and then on the third day, rise again. And now he was hearing his contemporaries tell him what they had witnessed. He had been with the living Christ and now he was hearing the living word that would soon become the Gospel as recorded in the New Testament. But surprisingly, he fails to believe what he’s hearing. He cannot get his brain wrapped around the words of the other apostles and acknowledge the resurrection of the one whom He knew as the Son of God! He adamantly insists, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” (John 20:25, ESV) 

His eyes of faith were blinded by the “HOW” of the mind. He cannot understand “HOW” Christ could resurrect Himself from the grave. Therefore, it cannot be true. What a remarkable failure! But is this so extraordinary? In fact, do we not witness this ourselves every day in the words and actions of others who call themselves disciples of Christ? Yes, we do!

Throughout the Church there are thousands upon thousands of people who profess faith in Christ Jesus, but it is a faith that, like St. Thomas, is a faith predicated on what they can see. Oh, not with their eyes, but with their minds. Their eyes of faith, that which leads the heart to believe and confess all of Christ, are covered with the lens of denial, especially when it comes to the Means of Grace. Too many, like St. Thomas, concentrate on the “HOW” of Scripture rather than the “WHY” of Scripture. For them, miracles and the sacramental Gospel gifts are beyond comprehension.

But ever since the calling of St. Paul, God no longer calls souls into the Church by an immediate call. Instead, He uses His divine means to call souls to faith, and those divine means are all Gospel filled means: the Word of the Gospel, and His Sacramental gifts of Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and holy Absolution. These are known as the Means of Grace, through which God calls souls to faith and conveys His forgiveness while strengthening the faith of His faithful. But too many, like St. Thomas, fail to understand the significance of the Means of Grace because they are stuck trying to understand “HOW” the sacraments can offer or contain what Holy Scripture clearly says they offer and contain. So, they are stuck on the “HOW” and therefore, fail to see the “WHY.”

Now, St. Thomas had an advantage over people of today, he had the living apostles to speak to him throughout the week. That is, he had the New Testament Gospel proclamation in the flesh before it was ever written, and on the eighth day after the resurrection, he had the Resurrected Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in the flesh.

Like that resurrection evening, the apostles were once again gathered in the upper room, but this time they had St. Thomas with them. Suddenly, from nowhere, Jesus appears saying, “Peace be with you.” (John 20:26, ESV) Now, our Lord is quite aware of St. Thomas’ unbelief; thus, He says to him, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” (John 20:27, ESV) 

Can you just imagine the look on St. Thomas’ face? He had to have been shocked. What! Jesus is alive! He is resurrected just as the others have been telling me. Why didn’t I believe them? Undoubtedly, he was thinking, “O Jesus, please forgive me.” With a deeply penitent heart, St. Thomas cries out, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28, ESV) Jesus then says to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29, ESV) This second resurrection appearance of Jesus was meant to convince St. Thomas that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead, and it did just that, but for all who follow St. Thomas in the faith, they will have to believe without seeing in the flesh, rather, they will have to believe by seeing through the eyes of faith; that faith which come through hearing the Word of Christ, seeing through the eyes of faith which are given by the Holy Spirit to all who believe.

Look, it took our Lord to stand, in the flesh, before St. Thomas to turn his heart from unbelief to belief, but you and I, we are not offered this great gift. When our Lord and Savior stands before us, He comes to us through the Word of the Gospel and through the Means of Grace. He comes to us through His under-shepherd, the pastor in the preaching of His Word and the distribution of the sacraments, and He says to us what He said to St. Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29, ESV) Blessed are those who do not get stuck with the “HOW” but who rely on the “Why.” Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and receive it with open hearts, hearts eager to believe, hearts which do not ask, “How can this be?” but hearts which respond, saying “Thank you Lord for I see the “Why,” I see the blessing you are giving me through Your divine Gospel Means of Grace. Holy Father, I see the forgiveness You desire to pour out on Me for the sake of Your holy Son, Jesus Christ. I see Your desire to call me into Your family, into the Body of Christ, making me a child of Yours, one robed in Your Son’s righteousness. Through the eyes of faith I see myself for who I really am, a baptized child of Yours, forgiven, and sustained through Your Gospel Means, those Means which fortify my soul and thus, my eyes of faith, keeping them wide open to see You for all that You do for me through Your holy Son, my Lord and my God, Jesus Christ. Thank you, holy Father, for giving me the eyes of faith to see clearly the “WHY” of Your holy ways, while rejecting the “HOW” of their delivery.  In the name of Jesus, Amen.

May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.